Art of the Dragonfly
by Lacertae
Summary: Two friends share a last moment together. Is friendship all they have, or is there something more? Only their final moment will tell. SasuNaru. One-shot.


**Fancy Disclaimer: **_The characters are not my own. These beautiful characters belong to one Masashi Kishimoto! If only I owned more... :(_

**Warning: This is yaoi. If you do not enjoy guy on guy love, click the 'back' button. Thank you.**

_A/N: Told in Naruto's POV_

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_**Art of the Dragonfly**_

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It felt as if the world itself should have stopped turning. Time should have been frozen upon impact. The weather was so beautiful. He was so beautiful.

"Damn it, don't you die on me!" I snapped.

I spoke from between gritted teeth. I was so afraid that if I relaxed, I would fall to pieces. I felt that I could cry right in front of him. I didn't want the last thing he saw to be my tears. I didn't want it to end so soon.

Blood dribbled from between his pristine lips and painted his clothing red. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, as was the rest of his body. Nothing about him was unmarred, yet I was in bad shape too. If someone had seen the two of us...

"You idiot," he spoke between labored breaths, "don't start crying now. I'm not dead yet, _dobe_."

I couldn't help it. One tear slid down my cheek, and another soon followed. I bowed my head to try and shield my face from his view, but he saw. I knew he could see me sobbing.

When I finally had him back, it was only to watch him die. Life was cruel and often too short. Instead of speaking my thoughts, I just continued sobbing. My shoulders shook with each and every racking sob, and I finally stopped trying to hide it. I grabbed his shoulders and gripped them tightly, almost as if my hold on him would keep him alive. If I let go, he would depart from the world—from me.

"I'm going to get you help. Can you stand up?" I asked as I let my azure orbs meet his tired, onyx eyes.

"Naruto." His tone was quieter than usual, and it got my attention. "I'm not going anywhere. It's over," he said and smirked.

"Don't say that, you bastard. You're giving up on me. The nearest village is...," I stopped and glanced about at the lush forest surrounding us, realizing that I had no idea where we were.

Sasuke chuckled, and I looked down at him with wide eyes. His right hand went to the large gash on his side, and his expression quickly turned to one of pain. I shouldn't have lost control. If only I hadn't injured him to such an extent. If only...

"Stop thinking that it's your fault." Sasuke was looking right at me, his eyes half-closed from the pain.

"It is my fault," I said as I clenched my fists. "I swore to save you, to bring you back to Kon—," I stopped speaking, fearing my voice would waver and crack as the tears returned.

His erratic breathing began to slow, and I gathered him in my arms. I didn't care that my tears were falling on him. I had to be closer to him. Nothing could be left unsaid. I had to show him how I felt. Would it really be the last time I spoke to him? Was it really the end?

"What happened to us?" Sasuke looked up at me, looking right into my teary eyes.

"Life happened," I replied in a broken tone.

"You were my best friend," he said as he looked off to the side.

"And now? I killed you, Sasuke. I...I hurt you." It was my turn to look away, and I clenched my eyes shut after I did.

I felt him move in my arms, and then I felt something cool upon my face. Slowly, I opened my eyes. His hand left my face after he had wiped my tears away. Despite his warm act, I couldn't read him. I could find nothing in the depth of his dark eyes.

I leaned down and pressed my lips against his. Blood coated my lips and tongue, but I reveled in the moment. Beneath it all, I could taste him. I had waited years to kiss him.

It was my turn to touch him, and I wasted no time trailing my fingertips across his face. We had grown up so much. He had changed. I had changed. Our friendship had changed.

"Smile," Sasuke said as I gently rocked back and forth. "I don't want you crying like some moron when I'm dead." His words made me smile, but the tears resurfaced.

I watched the light fade from his eyes. His hand slid off my arm, landing beside his body on the bloody grass. With my injuries, I struggled to pick him up, but I managed. I didn't know where I was, but I wasn't leaving his body to rot in the middle of a forest. I wasn't leaving his side again.

"Remember that kiss at the academy?" I said aloud with a small grin. "That wasn't really an accident." I laughed, and then I looked down at his pallid face.

He didn't move, and I didn't expect him to—but oh, how I wanted him to! I stumbled along the unmarked trails, trying to find some sign of a nearby village. All the while, my right leg and my head were bleeding. All the while, I was dying.

"Hey, Sasuke," I spoke, almost as if he could hear me, "I'm sorry." I tripped over a rock that was embedded in the ground and fell.

Landing partially on Sasuke's body, I remained on the ground. I wrapped an arm around his waist and rested my head upon his side. Colors began to fade. Sounds became muted. I could hear the sound of my beating heart, but it was slowing.

"This is it." I coughed, sending a barrage ruby droplets onto the dirt path.

I remembered how lonely I felt as a child, and how isolated and wronged I felt as a pre-teen. I remembered Kakashi, Sakura, Jiraiya, and everyone I had met along the way. I remembered Sasuke. I remembered how he looked when he was determined, angry, and sad. I remembered the sound of his laughter. I remembered the feel of his lips on mine.

"I love you." My voice was soft—the words were barely a whisper.

And like that, all the light was gone. Imagine what would happen when the Konoha shinobi finally found the two of us. What would they think of us? Would they even understand? None of that really mattered to me. Nothing ever mattered when I was with Sasuke.

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_Author Rant_

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_This was just a short tale that I wrote a while ago. Consider this a "what if" story. I hope everyone enjoyed it._

Reviews are loverly!

**_Ja ne._**


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